Lucrative Celebrity Beauty Brands

Celebrities are always looking for ways to increase their wealth, career longevity and market power. In addition to continuing their careers as actors, supermodels, musicians and athletes, they often try to branch out with a new venture: celebrity beauty brands. And, for those who are successful at this, they can make millions of dollars in the process.

While you may not be shocked by some entries on this list (after all, if a celebrity beauty brand is successful, you’ve probably heard of them), there may be some that will have you raising an eyebrow in surprise. Plus, you’ll be interested to know that not all of these are prestige beauty brands. That’s right: some of these celebrities tailor their beauty brands to fit amidst the budget brands on the shelves of drugstores. Even those celebrity beauty brands are successful!

9. IMAN Cosmetics by Iman: Worth $25 Million Annually

Iman, successful supermodel and wife of David Bowie, saw a distinct lack of products for women of color at the beauty counter and on the shelves of drugstores. After all, most beauty brands are tailored to those with lighter skin. She started IMAN Cosmetics to fill that gap in the market. According to an article in The Daily Mail, she’s built a beauty empire worth $25 million annually since 2010 with IMAN Cosmetics, despite resistance from retailers that would have preferred their darker-skinned customers find IMAN products hidden at the back of the store. You go, Iman!

8. Kardashian Beauty by Kourtney, Kim and Khloe Kardashian: Successful Australian Launch in 2014

Along with their reality television show and successful clothing line, DASH, the Kardashian sisters now have a beauty brand of their own. Although the Kardashian’s beauty brand has had a bumpy road after lawsuits regarding the original name for the company (Khroma), Kardashian Beauty is now seeing an increase in sales and positive awareness. Makeup-fans can find Kardashian Beauty products in Ulta stores across the United States. In fact, their licensing and branding company, BOLDFACE Group, Inc. recently stated that Kardashian Beauty had a very successful launch in Australia in early 2014, making this a worldwide brand.

7. Kora Organics by Miranda Kerr: Certified Organic

Have you ever wondered how the Victoria’s Secret supermodel, Miranda Kerr, got such wonderful skin? Just looking at her unlined complexion, you’d never guess she was in her 30s. Well, now you can use her skincare tricks with the Kora Organics beauty brand. Kora offers customers a 3-step system tailored to their skin type. Kerr recently told Vogue, “When I was modelling full time…I became aware of the chemicals contained in most skincare products and I searched for years to find a range that was not only certified organic but also delivered results. I was unable to find anything on the market that delivered what I was looking for so I decided to create my own range.” Thanks, Miranda!

6. Kat Von D Cosmetics by Kat Von D: 6.4 Million Followers

Most known for her TLC Show, LA Ink, Kat Von D has branched out into cosmetics. Her bold and colorful eye shadows, lipsticks, and more, fill a much-needed lack of drama in the cosmetics section of Sephora. Although there was some controversy near the end of 2013 for an unfortunately-named lipstick shade in the line that has since been taken off the shelves, Kat Von D Cosmetics continues to sell well at the beauty chain.

In fact, the Kat Von D Facebook page even has more fans (6.4 million as of January 2014) than Lancôme (4.9 million) and COVERGIRL (4.7 million)–big names in the cosmetics game.

Lucrative Celebrity Beauty Brands

Published by Trisha Bartle on March 4, 2014 in Beauty

5. Nuance by Salma Hayek: “Drugstore Lines We Love”

Just because a famous person starts a celebrity beauty brand, it doesn’t mean their products are limited only to the richest fans out there. Actress Salma Hayek decided that everyone should have access to her beauty brand, Nuance, so she sells it exclusively through CVS Pharmacy. Inspired by her grandma, Nuance features cosmetics, skincare, haircare and body products designed to work with everyone no matter their skin type or ethnicity. In addition to being a successful drugstore brand, Salma Hayek‘s Nuance was even named a “Drugstore Line We Love” by Beautylish.

4. Flower Beauty by Drew Barrymore: Newcomer of the Year Award

Drew Barrymore, actress and producer, has been a staple of Hollywood ever since she starred in ET in 1982 at the young age of 7. So, it’s only natural that she would branch off into the world of celebrity cosmetics. That’s where Flower Beauty comes in. The brand features a range of cosmetics for face, eyes, lips and nails–all of which can be found at Wal-Mart. New on the scene, Flower Beauty won the Newcomer of the Year award for the Women’s Wear Daily 2013 Beauty Inc. Awards.

3. Someday by Justin Bieber: $3 Million in the First 3 Weeks

Women aren’t the only celebrities coming out with beauty products. Justin Bieber, the pop sensation who has all of the pre-teen girls swooning, came out with a girl’s perfume in 2012 called Someday. The candy-scented fragrance, targeted to his younger fans, impresses everyone with it’s pretty bottle. As you might expect, sales were immense. In fact, the sweet-scented perfume earned $3 million in just the first three weeks after its release in 2011. Note to all teen pop idols: you might want to get your own perfume.

2. Driven by Derek Jeter: $20 Million Annually

Up until now, everything on this list was targeted toward females. However, a very successful male-focused celebrity beauty brand is out there right now. It’s called Driven by Derek Jeter. Sold by AVON, Driven offers cologne, body spray and body wash in three man-friendly scents. Any men who are fans of the famous baseball player for the New York Yankees will be drawn to this collection. And, apparently, it’s been a home run for Derek Jeter. Driven earns over $20 million in annual sales according to The Hollywood Reporter.

1. Meaningful Beauty by Cindy Crawford: $175 Million in 2012

When you think of supermodels, especially those from the 1990s, you’ll likely first think of Cindy Crawford. Who could forget her beautiful skin and adorable beauty mark? She’s been impressing us lately with how she seemingly stopped aging after all these years. She looks exactly as she did at the height of her career. All of these years later, she’s still using her great complexion as a selling point–this time for her beauty brand with Dr. Jean-Louis Sebagh: Meaningful Beauty. Customers can try the very products she uses to stay looking so young and fresh. Best of all, Meaningful Beauty earned $175 million in 2012 according to The New York Times. We think that’s a success.